Bishkek, Sept. 1 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said there is no solution on the battlefield and that all wars and conflicts should be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy. Addressing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan, Modi called for a united fight against terrorism and said there should be no double standards in dealing with the threat.
In the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Modi said countries must speak with one voice against terrorism. He called for dismantling the entire ecosystem of terrorism, including its financing, recruitment, radicalisation and safe havens. The Prime Minister also stressed that infrastructure projects should be supported only when they respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries.
His remarks came amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has affected global energy supply lines and economies. Modi also emphasised the importance of cooperation among SCO members on issues concerning regional security. The SCO summit is being held in an expanded SCO-Plus format, with leaders from more than a dozen associated countries also participating. The grouping currently has 10 members, with India and Pakistan joining as full members in 2017, Iran in 2023 and Belarus in 2024.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.